Delhi High Court rejects PIL over police denying lathi-charge on students during CJP-led protest

The Delhi High Court on Wednesday (September 16, 2026) dismissed a public interest litigation (PIL) over the issue of Delhi Police denying any lathi-charge on students participating in the NEET-related protests at Jantar Mantar in July despite contradictory media reports.

The petitioner argued that as a citizen and a media professional he has the right to know the truth, which is essential for fixing accountability, and prayed for a direction to Delhi Police to decide his representation on the issue.

A Bench of Chief Justice D K Upadhyaya and Justice Tejas Karia, however, observed that PIL jurisdiction was not meant for such cases, and asked the petitioner Mr. Nitin Naresh to show his statutory right to seek a decision on his representation.

The court remarked, “everything which will catch your imagination by reading newspaper becomes a PIL. High-sounding words like accountability, transparency are not to be used in vacuum.”